A Fresh Start
by ready-able
Summary: Bella has just been presented with an opportunity to advance her career. When a shocking turn of events causes her to make a big change in her life, everything that she knows is turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while, but my fingers have been itching to write something and let's just say I've been inspired as of late. Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

"Babe."

I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep.

"Bella." His voice whispered closely in my ear. I felt the bed beside me shift as Jacob shifted his weight so his body was astride me. Jacob's warm hands caressed my back, slowly going down to cup my rear end.

 _So it was going to be that kind of start to the morning_. I could deal with that. I allowed one of my eyes to peep open and I could see his brown eyes looking into my face, just a few inches.

"Good morning." I whispered, careful not to breathe my morning breath on him. Rather than replying, he lowered his hand even further, cupping the apex of my thighs, right where the warmth suddenly bloomed. I allowed my eyes to shut once again as he slowly coaxed me awake.

Half an hour later, I stood in the kitchen cutting up fruit for my morning smoothie, still in the afterglow of our morning lovemaking. It was far in between we were spontaneous like that. Between both of our busy schedules, it wasn't uncommon that we had to schedule sex in between work travel, meetings, family, our social lives, and sleep. It may seem sad, but it was practical for us both. Besides, wasn't the important thing that we still even made time for one another?

Jacob strolled into the kitchen with his hair still damp from his shower. He smirked, knowing what I was thinking about, and pecked me on the cheek. His tall build filled up our small apartment kitchen quite easily.

"You're looking quite dapper this morning." I mentioned before pulsing the blender. Jacob leaned against the counter and waited until I turned the blender off.

"What do you have going on today my love?" Jacob moves toward the coffee maker, pulling his travel mug from the cupboard above.

"A couple of potential clients are coming by to check out the hotel. I should be home in time for dinner though. What about you?"

"...I have a meeting with a new client today." He looked away suddenly and there was something on his face that I couldn't really place. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he sipped his coffee out of his travel mug and headed toward the front door.

"Got to make that cash money." I laughed to dispel the sudden weird vibe that I got. He turned and smiled back and shook his head.

"Well we do have a wedding to pay for soon." He winked. "I'll see you later tonight babe."

An hour and a half later, I was striding across the lobby of Europa Los Angeles. Europa was a luxury hotel chain where I worked as an event manager for corporate events. My heels tapped across the marble as I made my way toward the back offices. Smoothie in one hand, cell phone in the other, I was double checking to see if I had any missed calls from clients. I had a two large events in a couple of weeks and both clients had the strange thought that I was at their beck and call. Most people seem to think an event manager was a fancy term for personal assistant.

I scrolled through my e-mails, fortunate to not have any voicemails waiting for me, and stopped when I saw my boss's name.

 _Bella, come by my office today at 3 p.m._

 _-D_

That seemed quite ominous. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I suddenly had a terrible thought, I'm going to be let go. A cold chill went through my body. Though deep down I knew I hadn't done anything wrong recently, it didn't make sense to see him.

"Chef wants to see us in 15." My best friend, Alice, walked past me as I sunk down in my ergonomic desk chair. Alice's desk was right across from me and she took her seat, turning her computer on. She glanced up at me when I didn't respond.

"Uh...earth to Bella?" Her light gray eyes searched mine.

"Yes, we'll go see the chef in 15." I responded turning on my respective computer. I stared at the screen as it lit up, still thinking about what the boss man would want to see me about.

"What's up?" Alice asked, waving her hand in front of me.

"I...have to go see Mr. Daniels today at 3." I sighed. I really couldn't afford to lose this job. Yes, I did have a wedding to pay for in the next 6 months, but I also had student loans, bills, and rent. Jacob was a financial planner and though he did make a good chunk of money, having to support both of us would be a struggle.

Alice's eyes widened, understanding instantly. She didn't say anything to me for the next 10 minutes. This is why we were such good friends. She knew when I didn't want to talk.

For the next 6 hours, we met with the executive chef of the hotel to go over final counts and menus for our respective events coming up this weekend. Alice handled all the weddings while I took on all the corporate events. I had two potential clients come in to look at the hotel for their own respective events, both of whom seemed very interested. During those 6 hours, I almost forgot about my impending meeting with Mr. Daniels.

At 2 minutes until 3 p.m., I walked towards the back offices where all the directors sat. Mr. Daniels' door was slightly ajar. I knocked tentatively. Not going to lie, my palms were starting to sweat.

"Come in."

I walked in with my back straight as a needle, trying my damnedest not to look the least bit worried. Mr. Daniel sat behind his big oak desk and was typing something up on his computer. He didn't look up until I sat in the chair across from him.

"Bella, thank you for coming to see me." He turned away from his computer and folded his hands neatly in front of him. Mr. Daniels was an unassuming man who was my height without heels on. He was always perfectly coiffed and always wore light gray suits to match the general color scheme of the hotel. All of us in middle management could never decide if this was on purpose or if he just prefered the color gray.

"Of course Mr. Daniels. What can I do for you?" I used my most earnest tone of voice. The same tone I use when trying to upsell clients on their events.

"How long have you been here Bella?" Mr. Daniels looked straight at me. His ice blue eyes bore into mine but I forced myself not to look away. It was known among all the employees at Europa, that Mr. Daniels was one hell of an intimidator.

"I've been here for 4 years now." I smiled, hoping to ease my anxiety. I started working at Europa when I was 24 years old. Previously, I worked at a small event planning company. A job that I held right out of graduating college.

"It doesn't seem like a long time. However," he paused, as if to keep me on the edge of my seat. Which, of course I was. "However, the directors have noticed the steady rise of sales and corporate events since you've been here. Out of the hundreds of events you've coordinated, there are probably less than a handful of unhappy clients."

I smiled tightly at him. Get to the point! my mind pleaded.

"As you know, Europa has bought out several hotels across the country in the past two years."

I nodded, of course I knew this already. Though Europa was a hotel chain, locations across the country were only limited to Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Chicago, and D.C. Europa didn't have the breadth like a Marriott or Hilton by no means. However, quality of service and satisfaction were much higher. Most guests staying at a Europa hotel tended to be more affluent. The new locations Mr. Daniels were now referring to were located in San Francisco and Seattle. The San Francisco location had a grand opening 2 months ago to much success.

"Seattle is scheduled to open in the next two months." Mr. Daniels stopped and sighed. "I want you to head their events department."

Wait...what?

"I'm sorry?" I couldn't have heard that correctly.

"I recommended your transfer to Seattle. I think you've done great things here in Los Angeles. With four years under your belt, I think it's time that you were awarded the opportunity to grow. I think you would be a great fit for Seattle with all that corporate experience under your belt." Mr. Daniels pulled a thick folder from his desk and slid it toward me.

"Wow...this is so unexpected. A promotion and a transfer to Seattle weren't even on my list of things that I thought would come out of your mouth today." I smiled sheepishly and took the folder. I opened it and felt my eyebrows shoot up. Quite the promotion indeed.

"I know this is a big decision. I know your fiance works here in Los Angeles, but I do believe this would be the best move for your career." He stood up and I followed suit, clutching the folder to my chest now. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off to think about what I am offering you."

"Yes, thank you so much Mr. Daniels." I shook his hand, grateful and a bit shell shocked to be honest. I turned to leave and as I grabbed the doorknob to exit his office he spoke again.

"All the locations gave their recommendations. After Mr. Rossi read through all the files, he chose you personally." Mr. Rossi was the owner of the Europa chain. I had only seen him twice in my four years here and both times it was just in passing. I had only talked to him once. "Your file was the most impressive."

"Thank you for letting me know that. I have a lot to think about." I smiled once more and Mr. Daniels finally smiled back.

"You'll let me know your decision tomorrow."

With that I turned on my heel and with legs like jello made my way back to my office to tell Alice the news.

I was still a jumble of nerves as I made my way up the stairs to the apartment I shared with Jacob. Surprisingly, there wasn't the usual LA traffic heading home. Normally, traffic stresses people out, but I've always found it quite calming, just sitting in a car with good music, alone with my thoughts. So today, I didn't get to de-stress on the drive home. If anything, I was more tightly wound.

I was anxious to see how Jacob would react. On one hand, I knew he'd be happy for me, but on the other, our life was here in LA. My parents lived in nearby Pasadena, Jacob didn't grow up in LA, but rather in Orange County which was thirty minutes to an hour away depending on the day. Moving up to Seattle, Washington was a big deal. I've never been there myself and the only thing I knew about the place was that it rained...a lot. For a couple who grew up solely in Southern California all their lives, that was a big change.

Oh well, Jacob wasn't due home for another 3 hours. He normally left the office by 6 p.m. and didn't get home until almost 7 p.m. I'd at least have some time to figure out how best to bring this up.

I dumped my purse which contained the folder Mr. Daniels gave me on the side table near the front door and headed to the bedroom to change. As I made my way down the hall, I could hear noises sounding from the bedroom.

I stopped in my tracks and felt my blood suddenly run cold. I definitely heard a woman's voice. A woman's voice who I'm sure have never heard before in my life. It was one of those high pitched, baby voices that made my skin crawl; probably someone from the valley. I carefully made my way down the hallway closer and closer to the door, my body telling me not to go. Luckily, the hallway had a rug running down the length of it which masked the tapping of my heels across the wooden floor beneath it.

"Tell me you love me." The baby voice whined. My hand twitched into a fist as I leaned my ear closer to the door.

"I love you." Jacob said. I felt my blood boil, no longer scared, but angry. I could vaguely hear the sound of skin on skin pounding against one another.

"And tell me you don't love _her_." Baby Voice said again, followed by what was unmistakably a moan.

"I love..only...you." Jacob said, moaning in between each word. _Oh fuck no_.

The door was slightly ajar and I pushed it opened. There, on the bed Jacob and I had fucked in earlier this morning, was Jacob lying on his back with a pixie haired blond riding him. It took them a second to notice me standing there as their faces were currently fused together by their lips.

I stood there staring. If only my eyes were daggers.

"Sorry to interrupt." I finally said, wanting to break up the sound of their sloshing tongues.

Baby Voice sat up immediately and turned, horror in her eyes. Jacob turned to look at me, his normally perfectly sun-kissed face turned pale at the realization that I was there.

"You can at least have the fucking decency to to take your penis out of her vagina." I turned on my heel, no longer able to see their nakedness together. I grabbed my purse and was halfway out the door when Jacob ran down the hallway, one of our pillows held in front of himself. Odd, considering I've seen him nude countless times.

"Wait, Bella!" Jacob stopped at the doorway, remembering he was nude. I stood outside, 6 feet away from where he stood.

"I don't have to do anything!" I yelled. It felt good to yell.

"Let me explain." Jacob said quietly, obviously not wanting the neighbors to hear.

"What is there to explain? You were fucking someone else. In. Our. Bed." I emphasized that last bit. I was full of loathing which was a pretty strong emotion for me. I was always known to keep my cool, but this situation was out of control.

"Please don't leave." Jacob pleaded, his eyes starting to water. I shook my head, not even able to form the words I wanted to throw at him. Instead I reached down and removed the engagement ring he gave me 8 months ago.

"I don't ever want to see you again." I threw the ring at him which landed next to his feet. I knew he wasn't going to follow me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it's taken a bit of time to post this second chapter! First, I just want to thank you all for taking the time to read the beginning. As I mentioned last time, it has been quite a while since I've written anything and I truly appreciate all the comments! Hope you enjoy :)**

 **And we all know these characters belong to SM.**

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 **Chapter 2: The Decision**

I drove.

I wasn't sure where I was going. I just got onto the 110 Freeway and started driving as I fought to comprehend exactly what I had just seen. It was only 4:15 p.m. at this point and I knew Alice would still be at work for another hour at least and there was no way I was going back to work in this state.

I saw the on ramp onto the 10 Freeway and dangerously crossed 3 lanes to get to it suddenly knowing where I wanted to go.

Almost 45 minutes later, I was sitting on the Santa Monica Beach with my slacks rolled up and my heels neatly placed next to me on the sand. Even in mid-October, the beach was a perfect 72 degrees.

I had always loved the beach. The warm sand, soothing waves and the soft breeze. I spent many summers on the beach. In fact, Jacob and I first met at a bonfire Alice's sorority was having in Malibu. I had begrudgingly gone to the party at Alice's request and had accidently spilled beer all over Jacob's back. We instantly became friends. We didn't start actually date until a couple of years later.

The folder Mr. Daniels gave me stuck out of my purse like a sore thumb. Crossing my legs and needing a distraction, I pulled it out once again and looked at each of the documents.

Could I really make the move to the Pacific Northwest? Move over a thousand miles away from my friends and my parents?

There was no question my engagement to Jacob, someone I had committed the last 3 years of my life to, was over. _Jacob_. I had thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. My heart wrenched and twisted thinking about seeing Jacob with that unknown girl. What was he thinking?

How did this happen?

A lone tear spilled from my cheek onto the papers sitting on my lap. _Don't do this Bella. Don't cry over him. He doesn't deserve your tears._

I could tell the few people walking or jogging along the beach were staring at the strange crying woman in a pant suit. I wasn't sure how long I sat, but it was long enough that the sun was finally starting to set. I shoved the folder back into my purse and pulled myself up off the sand, not bothering to shake the sand from the seat of my pants.

Walking back to my car, I pulled my phone out of habit and saw 21 missed calls. I had turned it to silent after Jacob had called me for the fifth time as I was driving over to the beach. I scrolled through the missed calls to see Alice's name. I clicked her name and let it ring.

"Bella where have you been?! Jacob has been calling me nonstop saying that you've run off!" Alice sounded panic. I can hear her dog barking in the background. She must have just gotten home.

"I needed to think." I mumble. "Listen, don't tell him where I am. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"That _asshole_! I have half a mind to go over there and kick him in the balls." Alice said angrily. She ended up spilling a few drops of red wine on her impeccably white tablecloth, but she didn't seem to care. "How dare he call me asking about you without saying a damn thing."

"I threw my ring at him."

"He deserves a lot more thrown at him if you ask me."

I nursed my glass thinking over the decision I had in front of me.

"I'm going to do it." I say quietly. I was resolved. I _had_ to do this.

"Do what? Murder him?" Alice said, taking a sip of her wine. "I will be more than happy to help you."

"No, Alice." I roll my eyes. "I'm going to take the job in Seattle."

Alice stopped her angry ranting, on my behalf of course, and stares at me as what I said sinks in. She moved across the table and gave me a surprisingly tight hug despite her very petite frame.

"Of course you are." She pulls back and her round eyes get bigger. "What can I do to help?"

"Let me stay here for a few days?" She smiled and nodded giving me another warm hug.

"Have you told Charlie and Renee yet?"

"Ugh. No. I'm not looking forward to that call." I sighed. "But I better talk to them sooner rather than later."

Alice nodded knowing I had quite a lot of news to tell my parents.

"I will be waiting here for you with a fresh glass of wine."

I got up and headed out to her balcony to get some privacy, took a deep breath and dialed my parents' home phone.

Almost two hours later, I re-entered Alice's apartment, not feeling any better or worse. My parents were unsurprisingly shell shocked. My mother was as vocal as Alice was, but what worried me was my father who remained quiet for most of the entire call. He was a silent man normally, but I could practically feel his anger through the phone line. Since he was a cop, I no doubt he was thinking of ways to put Jacob in jail.

When I had told them about getting the promotion to Seattle, Renee started crying.

"I know why you need to do this." She sobbed. "You know if you need me there, I will fly up in a heartbeat!"

"Bella," my dad's gruff voice sounded a bit faintly. I could imagine my mom sitting in the kitchen, the phone on speaker sitting on the counter in front of her with my dad on his favorite recliner in the living room.

"Yes dad?"

"Jacob is a complete idiot who doesn't deserve you. And..uh...if you want me get him thrown in jail for a couple of days, I'm sure I can find a way."

I smiled a bit, I knew him too well. "I'd love to take you up on that offer, but I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble because of him. I think I'll be fine...I just need some time."

"Of course honey. Time heals all." Renee chirped in. "You need a fresh start."

"A fresh start." I nodded and talked to my parents for a few minutes longer, suddenly wishing I was home with them. Granted they lived not too far away, but it was getting late and suddenly I was very tired.

"Mr. Daniels?" I knocked softly on his office door. It was early the following morning and I was hoping I didn't look like I had been crying all night.

"Yes, please come in." He looked up from his computer screen and upon seeing me enter smiles. "I hope you come bearing good news."

"If by good news you mean I'm accepting the job, then yes." I smile as much as I could muster that early in the morning.

"I'm glad to hear it. I was a bit worried that the move would pose a problem between you and your fiance." Mr. Daniels said.

"Nope. There isn't a problem."

Two weeks later, after hastily tying up all my loose ends and saying goodbye to my parents and friends, I found myself sitting in LAX waiting for my flight to start boarding.

I couldn't help but think about what had gone down between Jacob and I only 4 days earlier.

Mr. Daniels had given me an entire week of to prepare myself for the move. Everything was happening so fast and I wasn't going to get much free time between arriving in Seattle and starting work since the grand opening was scheduled the weekend after Thanksgiving. Which meant I only had about a month to form a team and plan the big grand opening party.

After dodging Jacob's calls and any face to face encounters for an entire week, I knew I was going to have to go back to the apartment we shared sooner rather than later to start packing my things.

I arrived at the apartment a little before 9 a.m. on Thursday, knowing he was going to be at work. I was only giving myself 3 hours to pack the essentials, clothes, toiletries, my kitchen appliances (God knows Jacob wasn't going to be using any of that stuff), my books and movies I owned, before a moving truck came to take all my boxes. I had a surprising amount of boxes and I looked around the apartment checking to make sure I wasn't leaving anything of mine behind.

I wasn't going to take any of the furniture as the apartment I had found came furnished with the essentials. I was only going to have to buy myself a new bed.

Just as the moving guys came to take the last of my boxes, Jacob walked into the apartment. My blood instantly ran cold.

"Bella." He rushed toward me but stopped short when I held my hand out signaling him to stop. "Bella, please. Can we talk?"

"You have 5 minutes." Finally finding my voice and proud of myself that it was steady.

"I'm sorry."

"That's all you have to say?" I say, furious all of a sudden. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

"You wouldn't answer my calls and when I dropped by Europa, they told me I had to leave." Jacob pleaded. I saw the regret and guilt in his eyes which would have softened me in the past. Not this time.

"What you did is unforgivable. I can't even look at you without wanting to punch you in the face." I started to move toward the front door, it was time for me to leave.

"I know. I know. You can punch me if you want, but I need you to know that I still love you. I made a mistake!" Jacob followed after me, suddenly desperate and it was not attractive in the least.

"A mistake?" I turned around. "A mistake?! You slept with someone else, in _our_ bed."

"I know. I was weak. And I will spend the rest of my life apologizing and making up for what I had done." Jacob finds my hands and holds them tightly. What I once thought were strong and protective hands held me in place and I wanted nothing more than to wash my hands in bleach.

"You don't get that chance. If it wasn't clear before, we're done. We're over. I'm leaving." I slip my hands out of his clammy ones.

"So that's it?" He says after a beat. I was almost out of the apartment when he said that.

"That's it? Of course that's it. What did you really expect me to do?" I turn around, no longer able to hold the fury that had been boiling inside of me for the past week.

"You're going to throw away three years because of one mistake I made?" Jacob's eyes suddenly filled with tear and I was slightly taken aback. Not once during our relationship had I seen him like this. "I know it was a huge mistake and I don't know how else I can apologize. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Yes, it was one huge mistake. But you have to understand that no matter what you say, I'm never going to be able to trust you. And what do you think I was going to do after you had told that woman that you ' _love only her'_?"

"That…" Jacob paled, obviously forgetting that I had heard that much during his sexual tryst. "That...was in the heat of the moment. I didn't mean that. I barely even know her."

"Well that makes me feel so much better." I spat out. "Enjoy the rest of your life."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out of his life once more. He didn't even bother to follow me, knowing he wasn't going to say or do anything to make things right.

"Flight 3896, group 1 boarding has now begun."

I was snapped back to the present and began gathering my things to begin boarding.

I was just a few short hours from starting my new life. I've never been this terrified before, but there was a shining glimmering of hope for me. I was excited doing something I had never dreamed of doing, embarking on a new adventure on my own.


End file.
